Phantasm
by KaydenceRei
Summary: Sawyer noticed that her eyes weren't bright as they used to be. They weren't the same eyes as the real Juliet. These eyes were dim, fading, dead. She was just a hallucination, his mind talking to himself using her body, telling him to find her. PostFinale


**Author's Note**: Just a random little idea.

For **D.D. Casale**.

**Phantasm**:

"_James.._"

"Sawyer!"

"_James._"

"Sawyer, are you alright?"

Sawyer shook his head slightly and focused, finding himself staring into green eyes. "What?"

"I asked if you were alright," Kate questioned, staring at him with curiosity.

"_She must not remember_."

Sawyer's eyes flashed beside Kate and remained silent for a moment as he stared at Juliet beside her. "Juliet?" he questioned with uncertainty.

Kate's eyes flashed with confusion as she glanced beside her and behind her. There was nobody there. "Who is Juliet?"

Sawyer narrowed his eyes slightly. She had to be screwing with him, there was no possible way. Juliet was standing right beside Kate. They were all playing a really bad prank.

"_You can say it's a prank all that you like, James.._" Juliet muttered. _"But no matter what that's not going to make this me real._"

Sawyer frowned for a moment. "Why?" he questioned.

Juliet's head tilted sideways slightly. "_Get your act together, cowboy. You're talking to thin air as far as she can see,_" she pointed out, her hands going to her hips. "_Unless you want to join Hurley in the nut house, they could use a few more plane crash survivors_."

"What do you mean why?" Kate asked with annoyance. "You said _Juliet_, I'm Kate, we spent a couple weeks on an island after our plane crashed, remember?" she questioned, eying him with frustration.

"_I think she's angry_," Juliet noted with a half-smile. "_If you love her, why don't you tell her?_"

"I don't love her," Sawyer growled out with annoyance.

Kate arched an eyebrow up. "I.. never said that you did?"

"_Then why did you look at her?_" Juliet questioned, both eyebrows raised inquisitively. "_Why aren't you trying to find me?_"

Sawyer glanced between Juliet and Kate before turning and walking away.

"_You realize, you can walk away from her, but from me? Not so much.._" Juliet pointed out, walking beside him. "_If you figure out what you want, I'll go away._"

Sawyer shot her a side-ways glance. "What makes you think I want you to go away?"

Juliet's eyes softened slightly. "_I'm just a hallucination, James.._" she assured him. "_You gain nothing by keeping me around._"

"I get to see you," he stated quietly.

She sighed slightly as he sat down on an abandoned bench and she sat down beside him. Her hand went to his cheek. "_This won't help you. I'm just the form your mind took to help you know what to do,_" she admitted. "_I'm not real. You can't feel my touch. You can't touch me_."

Sawyer stared at her. Obviously she was right. Her hand was on his face, but at the same time, there was nothing there.

"_I'll tell you what, why don't you try and find the real Juliet?_" she questioned curiously, her head tilting sideways once more.

"Is that what I'm supposed to do?" Sawyer questioned.

Juliet shrugged. "_I can only tell you what you _want_ to do, James,"_ she explained. "_In a sense, I'm you. I'm only her in shape, in form._"

"What if you don't remember me?" Sawyer wondered aloud. He sighed, covering his face with his hands.

Juliet smiled. "_Well, if she doesn't remember, then I guess she was right. That you were never meant to be together,_" she stated with a shrug.

"If I do this, and you don't remember.."

"_You're wondering if I'll go away?_" she questioned.

Sawyer nodded.

"_I don't know,_" she answered. "_I told you already, I only know what _you_ know._" She studied him carefully before sighing. "_The question you need to answer before you go find Juliet, is.. who do you love?_"

"What?" Sawyer questioned, glancing up into the blue eyes. He noticed that her eyes weren't bright as they used to be. They weren't the same eyes as the real Juliet. These eyes were dim, fading, dead. She was just a hallucination, his mind talking to himself using her body, telling him to find her.

"_Do you love Kate?_" she asked him.

"I.." Sawyer frowned. "I thought I did."

"_But not anymore._"

"No.." he answered.

Juliet nodded her head slightly. "_Then I guess you have your answer on what to do. Better book that flight to Miami and hope she's home._"

Sawyer closed his eyes and sighed. "What if she's on the island again?"

"_You won't know until you look for her in Miami._"

Sawyer opened his eyes and looked to the side but she was gone. His goal was pretty clear-cut. If Juliet wasn't in Miami he would simply have to find his way back to the island. To her. Later that night he found himself standing at the top of a beach in Miami. She was down near the water with her sister and nephew, smiling.. happy.

Did he have the right to try and speak to her even if she did remember him? She'd died because of him. Because in a moment of weakness he'd looked at Kate and remembered old times rather then looking at Juliet and seeing what he had right in front of him. He frowned slightly when he realized Juliet's sister had caught him watching and pointed him out to Juliet.

What surprised him was the fact when she looked over, she didn't see at all surprised to see him standing there. Instead there was a look of relief on her face and a small smile growing.

For a moment all either of them could think to do was stare at one another. At least until he saw her feet move and she walked towards him at an easy pace.

"I lied," she stated casually, her hands going to her hips and a knowing smile playing on her lips.

Sawyer arched both eyebrows up in response. "About what?"

Juliet reached both hands out and cupped his face between them. "I lied when I said I thought we were never meant to be together.." she answered.

"You don't hate me?" he questioned, his voice nearly breaking, but he held himself back. The biggest comfort was that he knew this Juliet was real. He could feel her hands on his face.

She smiled softly now before removing her hands from his face and wrapping them around him in an embrace. "James, I could never hate you."

"I killed you.." Sawyer mumbled, shaking his head.

Juliet felt her eyes soften as she rested her head on his shoulder. "No," she assured him. "I let go, there's a difference," she pointed out. "It wasn't live together die alone when I was hanging there," she told him. "It was either die alone or die together, and I wasn't going to take you down with me."

"It's my fault you even made that choice," he stated with a tinge of sadness. "I can never say the right thing."

Finally Juliet pulled away and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "Every choice I've ever made has been my own choice," she assured him. "And I don't regret those choices, because all of those choices leads me right here to you."

Sawyer found himself smiling regardless of the guilt left inside of him. "See.. now if I could say shit like that--"

"Then you wouldn't be the James that I know and love," Juliet pointed out, smiling.

Sawyer chuckled, finally meeting her blues eyes with his own. Yes, she was the real deal this time. No more soulless eyes. Her blues eyes were a bright, sparkling ocean. Hiding more treasure in its depth then anyone else could ever imagine. And he loved them. "I love you," he told her, pulling her back into his embrace. He definitely wouldn't take the ability to hold her for granted anymore. Not after he lost her once already.

"Imagine that.." Juliet chuckled. "I love you back.."

**()()END()()**

**Just, couldn't really help myself here. Once again we can blame that little bastard child who threw his baseball bat at my head and gave me such an awesome concussion. Now back to bed with me.**


End file.
